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(No Model.) 8 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. J. NEWTON, H. J. PURBROOK & H. DE 0. HUDSON. ELEGTROTHERAPEUTIGALBODY WEAR.

No. 539,484. Patented-May 21, 189 5.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.) I W. J. NEWTON, H. J. PURBROOK 8v H...DE O. HUDSON.

ELEOTROTHERAPEUTIGAL BODY WEAR.

No. 539,484. Patented-May 21, 1895.

f7zz/"erzorsx Wz'imesJeJx EWWM QQ/ZM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

flia'ndiiar (No Model.) W. J. NEWTON, H. J. PURBROOK 81; H. DE 0.HUDSON.

BLEGTROTHERAPBUTIGAL BODY WEAR. No'. 539,484.

Patented May 21, 1895.

Wain/eases.-

' U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER JOSEPH NEWTON, HENRY JAMES PURBROOK, AND HERBERT DE OARLEHUDSON, OF WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND.

ELECTROTHERAPEUTICAL BODY-WEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 539,484, dated May 21,1895.

Application fil d August 31, 1894, Serial No. 521,860. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER JOSEPH NEW- TON, HENRY JAMEs PURBROOK, andHERBERT DE CABLE HUDSON, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain,residing at 4:2 Lambton Quay, Wellington, in the Colony of New Zealand,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Generatingand Applying Electricity to the Human Body, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to applying electricity to'thehuman body, and hasfor its object more especially applying a current of electricity forcurative purposes in a convenient and effective manner.

One part of our invention consists in applying a belt, girdle, orwrapper of novel construction to any convenient part of the body, butmore especially around the loins; such wrapper containing a dry batteryor batteries connected to metallic terminals or electrodes, whichbatteries are placed in proper positions according to the purpose forwhich the application of the electricity is required, or the disease itis intended to cure or alleviate.

Another part of our invention refers to the nature and composition ofthe dry battery itself.

Our invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective View of a belt fitted with the improvedapparatus. Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the circulation of theelectric current. Fig. 3 is a view of a similar apparatus to that inFig. 1, but showing means for conducting the electric current throughthe chest and spine. Figs. 4 and 5 are front and back views,respectively, showing the application of the apparatus illustrated inFig. 3. Fig. 6 shows the means of applying electricity to the chest.Fig. '7 shows the means of applying electricity to the spine. Fig. 8 isa front elevation of a battery constructed according to our invention.Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the same. Fig. 10 is a transversesection of the same on the line 9 9.

Similar letters of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

(a) is a belt to be fixed around the loins by straps (a) or othersuitable means, and fitted with pockets (1)) or their equivalents toreceive the batteries hereinafter described; which pockets may be of anydesired number according to the number of batteries. These pockets Weprefer to be in a diagonal position as shown for greater convenience incarrying them on the body of the patient.

(a) is a terminal or electrode having an extended surface soas toprovide an efficient surface for supplying the electricity to the body,or the object to which it is attached; and (c') is another similarterminal or electrode applied to the part or position to which thecurrent of electricity has to circulate from the terminal (0). Theseterminals or electrodes may be of wire gauze or woven wire, either woveninto the substance of the belt or fixed upon it, or may be of metaldeposited upon a suitable fibrous material. (0) is the positive, and(c') the negative terminal or electrode, or vice versa as desired andaccording to whether the negative or positive wire from the batteries isattached to them; and in the case of passing the current from the backthrough the abdomen to the front of the individual or vice versa thisbelt alone is used with the wires arranged as shown, viz., the positive(02) from thebattery (d) attached to the terminal (0), the negative wire(e) passed to the positive pole of the battery (f) and the negative wire(9) attached to the terminal (0), the current returning through the bodyof the subject from and to whatever part desired.

It is evident that instead of a belt, a suitable carrier for the batterymay be attached to any other part of the body if desired, but we preferto use the belt attached to the body as illustrated in the drawings.

To apply the current of electricity to the spine (see Fig. 3) we makeuse of a bandage or strap such as (h) which is (by preference) at itslower end (h?) formed in the shape of a T with eyelet holes (72?) bywhich it can be fastened to the belt, which has similar andcorresponding eyelet holes (1'). This bandage or strap has attached toit a lining of wire gauze or metallic substance (j) which in the T piece(h') is exposed on one side of the textile fabric and in the main body(h) is exposed on the other side. Therefore by passing the said T endbetween the electrode (0) and the body of the patient the said electrode(0') is out off from the body, but as the upper metallic surface of (j)is in contact with the body, the current passes into the said metallicsurface (j) and thence into the back and spine of the patient, andthrough the body back into the electrode (a) so as to complete thecircuit. To apply the current to the chest we make use of a breast piece(k) which is fastened around the neck of the patient in any suitablemanner so as to lie close to the skin, and we connect the same by thewire (10) to a piece (Z) which is placed similarly to the T end (h) inFig. 7, viz., with its metallic surface facing the electrode (a) andcutting the current of the same off from the body, but receiving thecurrent from the said electrode, passing it through the wire (10) intothe breast piece (it) which has its metallic surface next the skin so astopass the current of electricity through the chest and back, to theelectrode (0).

Itwill be seen that by similar arrangements applied to the feet, or anyother part, we can 'pass the current of electricity through any part ofthe human body and in any desired direction. For instance, in the caseof varicose veins an electric current may be produced up the legs byplacing positive electrodes under the feet of the patient, so that 'thecurrent may pass up the legs and thence to the opposite terminal of thebattery which may be in any convenient position.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10 is illustrated our improved dry battery which weprefer to use with our apparatus. (1%) is the outer case of zinc havinga binding screw to receive the negative wire (e). This outer case (m) ismade in any form most convenient to the body, but (by'preference)tubular as shown, and stopped at the lower end of the tube by plaster ofparis (n). The carbon (0) is first prepared by dipping its terminal endinto melted paraffine to prevent capillary attrac tion, and then hung ina saturated solution of permanganate of potash while itis acted upon bya powerful electric battery, say of six or eight Bunsen cells. Thecarbon is then put in position within the tube (m), being guided andheld by the plaster of paris (n). We then fill in the space surroundingthe carbon with a creamy solution made as follows, viz: five parts byweight of oxide of zinc, and eleven parts by weight of plaster of parismoistened with a saturated solution of chloride of zinc in whichisdissolved a small quantity of chloride of ammonia. This solution becomescomparatively hard, and when thus charged the battery will last for aconsider able period.

We wish it to be understood that we do not confine ourselves to theexact details or location of the several parts of our apparatus, asthese can be varied according to the part of the body to be operated on;and moreover the batteries can be carried on other parts of the personinstead of by means of a belt around the waist as shown, and can be ofany desired number.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declarethat what we claim is 1. In combination with the belt, the battery, theelectrodes connected therewith, the spiral band 72, arranged to contactwith one electrode and cut the same out and having a contact surface tobear on the body above the plane of the electrode, substantially asdescribed.

2. In combination with the belt, the battery, the electrodes connectedtherewith and arranged at difierent points on the belt, the breast pieceIt having the contact surface to bear on the body, the cut out piece forone electrode and the connection from said elec-' trode to the breastpiece, substantially as described.

3. In combination, the belt, the battery carried thereby, the electrodesconnected with the battery, the spiral band It and the breast piece 70,said band and breast piece being connected with the electrode,substantially as described.

WALTER JOSEPH NEWTON. HENRY JAMES PURBROOK. HERBERT DE GARLE HUDSON.

Witnesses:

W. E. HUGHES, HENRIE H. RAYVVARD.

